


Gossip

by moricat



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, M/M, Romantic Friendship, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 22:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8640661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moricat/pseuds/moricat
Summary: Jeankasa blurb in which they finally bond over gossiping about Eren and Armin.~ 
    Because Eren and Armin are mushy and I wanted to play with how they contrast from one of the other pairings in snk I ship. And I think it’s cute how interesting Jean thinks she is❤️   Takes place some time after chapter 87; Enjoy if you can!!!





	

Mikasa’s head rested against her palm as she listened to her little family gush to each other as usual. She grew quite bored of it after so long, or at least she would if it didn’t hurt to watch. 

As always, when they talked they’d seem to forget she was even there. Eren’s eyes would always be gazing so deeply into Armin’s, just enthralled by everything he had to say… And it would be an endless cycle since when Eren was inspired, Armin would be inspired in return and the conversation would go on and on and **_on_** …

She’d been jumping into the conversations less and less over the past few months. Right now she simply waited for it to end, her finger tracing whatever empty patterns were on the table, until they got up to leave. 

Ever considerate and polite, Armin did pause to speak to her. “Mikasa? We’re going for a walk outside. Eren wants to play with the training swing while Commandant Shadis is distracted. You wanna come along?”

 _‘And watch you two flirt til the sun goes down while you practically make out with your eyes, and feel each other up non stop? No, thank you.’_ She thought. “I’ll catch up with you later. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what you’re up to.”

Eren tugged impatiently at Armin’s sleeve. 

“Oh, alright. If you’re sure. See you later then.” Armin smiled and waved for her as Eren excitedly dragged him out of the mess hall. 

Mikasa stared down at her lunch tray of empty dishes. It was really beginning to sink in for her. She was very much being reduced to a bystander to those two. _‘What am I gonna do… I can’t get between that and I’ve no right to get in their way. And Eren needs him desperately… more than he ever needed me. So what’s the point?… Where am I gonna go? I’m losing my family again…’_

Mikasa’s thoughts were interrupted by the wind that blew past her cheek when none other than Jean Kirschtein sat down beside her. He’d been watching her from his seat, knowing by the look in her heartbroken eyes that she was falling apart and so decided someone needed to intervene. 

_‘Jean? Oh, great, what’s he want?’_ “Can I help you?” She asked coldly. 

Jean blushed and cleared his throat as he forced out a confident composure. “Sorry. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Fine.”

“Are you?”

“…”

He swallowed with difficulty, trying to hold on to his courage for even approaching her. “It’s okay if you’re not fine, you know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She turned sharply to look at him. 

Jean twitched nervously, hoping she wouldn’t be mad that he was analyzing her. “I- I just mean that… well, you don’t have to be fine over it. It’s not a weakness.”

“Over what?”

He raised an eyebrow at the not-so-shocking reveal that she was in denial. “Those two married guys.”

Her eyes widened. And her eyebrows somewhat furrowed. 

Jean tensed all over. 

“Why don’t you politely let me mind my own business, Jean.”

He didn’t move. 

“…You’re still here.” 

“…Well, I can’t just sit there and watch this again. You know you deserve better than being a bystander to those gross love birds.”

Seeing as Jean wouldn’t leave, Mikasa finally gave in to talk to him. “They’re my family. I’m not being left out. There’s no way you could know what you’re talking about just observing from the sidelines.”

“Funny. Cuz from where I was sitting it looked like YOU were the one sitting on the sidelines…”

She remained still. 

“Why do you stick around them? I mean, I get that they’re your family, or whatever they are to you, but even when they talk like that you’re still just gonna sit there and wait for them?”

“I was following the conversation.”

“Oh, yeah? And what were they talking about?”

“About the ocean… And the salt… And jungles… And…” She trailed off realizing she’d zoned out somewhere in the middle of it. Most likely when they started going on about spending their lives together exploring it, and their hands started drifting all over each other. 

“They sure do get handsy when they start talking about that shit.”

Mikasa blushed. 

“You’d think they could at least control themselves with others watching. It’s pretty disgusting.”

“They’re… very close friends. It’s just a symptom of knowing each other since childhood. It’s brotherly.”

Jean raised his eyebrow as far as it could possibly go and looked deep into her eyes as if to ask where the hell she picked that out. “Childhood friends or not, they seem quite flirtatious to me.”

“What do you know, you look like you’ve never had a friend in your life!”

“…” Jean froze with an undeniable pain in his eyes for such a comment. 

Mikasa was shocked at herself. She couldn’t believe she even said such a thing to someone. “…Sorry. That was–… uncalled for…”

Jean turned to face forward at the doorway where Eren and Armin had left a few minutes ago. “It’s alright.”

Mikasa held her gaze to her empty tray. 

“…You know, Mikasa. You’re their childhood friend too. And they do certainly care about you a lot but… Forgive me for this,… don’t you ever notice the difference between their relationship with you and their relationship with each other?…”

“They’re closer because Armin knew Eren first. Before I did…”

“…So you really think that if you’d been there first that YOU might’ve been as close to him as Armin?…”

She remained silent. Jean was right. 

“…Jean, why do you care so much about this?”

“…I just think it’s an injustice that someone like you is stuck playing third wheel to them… ‘Someone like you’ meaning, that– you’re amazing and interesting and inspiring. But that’s going squandered and unappreciated by those mushy morons.”

Mikasa blushed in a whole new way she hadn’t before… Someone had told her she was _‘amazing’._ And not in a soldier’s context, but on a personal level. That word was something Eren had been throwing at Armin with sincere adoration ever since the battle of Shiganshina. To have someone finally say it to _her_ … and appreciate her… It was a strange new feeling. 

“You don’t want to maybe try going your own way? And finding a better place for yourself out there?”

“I… want my family to stay together.”

Jean was rather disappointed at the implication but smiled nonetheless. “As you wish. They’ll definitely stick together. They’re practically glued at the hip, to be honest… it’s really gross.”

“…They are pretty annoying sometimes.”

Jean perked up. She was finally being honest with herself. “Like the way they keep touching each other all over the place, even with people watching, what’s with that huh?” 

Mikasa smiled in amusement. “I swear they practically inhale each other when they stand together.”

“That’s nothing, ever since Trost I’ve caught them holding hands at night and under the table constantly. Constantly! Are they even a couple?”

She chuckled. “No.”

“What? Are you just saying that?” 

“I swear it, they’ll deny it if you ask them.”

“That makes no sense to me, if you wanna be a couple then be a couple!”

“I think they’re waiting until after the war is over.”

“What? Are you kidding me? So this is them trying NOT to be together? What the fuck?!” He laughed. “I can’t even imagine how much grosser they’d be if they WERE together then!”

Mikasa brought a hand to her lips trying to contain her laughter. “One time last fall, Armin said he was a little cold and Eren just held him. It was completely uncalled for. It wasn’t even that cold, he just needed an excuse.”

“That’s nothing, one time at night when I came in to the barracks, I caught them cuddling. Straight up cuddling. Whispering shit to each other. No reason. Just a hard day and they were snuggling in that bed like they didn’t give a single goddamn who was around.”

Mikasa’s smile lit up the room. “No way!”

“Way! I could guess maybe one of them just needed a hug after a hard day and it turned into a fuckin gross snuggle fest but what I couldn’t guess was which one it was!”

Mikasa was officially laughing out loud “Oh wow. It was probably Eren. Believe it or not he’s the cuddly one of the two.”

“Seriously? I knew it, what a big wuss.”

Mikasa slowed down her chuckles and raised an eyebrow as if to nudge Jean not to make fun of Eren… but agreed with his point. “…They whisper stuff to each other a lot too… I always wonder what it is they’re saying that they don’t want anyone else to hear. Any idea what it could be?” 

“Probably a lot of shit about how much Eren loves Armin’s hair and how Armin loves Eren’s biceps, or some gross gay shit like that.”

She hummed another laugh. “There’s nothing wrong with being gay, Jean.”

“Oh, that’s not the problem. I just think the PDA is gross. But I am a girl’s guy so it grosses me out on that level too.”

“…You don’t think it might be nice to have that with someone?”

“To be that close with someone?”

She nodded ‘yes’ with enthusiasm. 

Jean was surprised. Mikasa really asked him to open up to her… Taking advantage of the opportunity, he gave a sincere answer. “Well, yeah maybe. I mean I can’t imagine it not getting uncomfortable after a while… but yeah of course. It sounds gross to be at the level that those two are, maybe, but who wouldn’t want someone like that, who knows you inside and out, so you can depend on them any time you need em?”

“I think so too… but I don’t think that can happen for just anybody.”

“You don’t?”

“Uh uh… I believe in soul mates. But not every soul has a mate. And not all soul mates need to be that intertwined with each other. I think Eren and Armin are a special case. But it sounds really nice…” 

Jean gazed upon her with such fascination. _‘I knew it.’_ He thought. _'You really are as sensitive and dear as I thought you’d be behind the walls you put up.’_ “You think you’ve got a soul mate waiting out there for you?”

“…Well I’d rather always hoped it would be Eren. I believed so hard that it would be… This is the first time I’ve admitted out loud that he’s not…”

“Oh… I’m really sorry.”

“No, don’t be! I’ve known for a long time now, it’s okay.”

“…Forgive me again, I keep prying but… if you believe in those things, and you want those things, and you know the answer’s not Eren, why do you insist on sticking around? Why don’t you go out and find the one for you?” 

“…Lunch is over, Jean. Have a good afternoon.” Mikasa stood up and carried her tray. 

Jean flushed with embarrassment for prying too much. “I’m sorry!”

She turned around. “No, don’t be. Thank you, Jean… You’re really good at achieving distance in your second wind on the gear. I’ve always found that impressive.” 

From cheek to cheek and all over his warm nose, Jean was now blushing with what felt like a fire under his skin. “Th-thank you.”

Mikasa smiled for him and went on about her business for the day. 

Strangely enough, after that conversation, she found herself smiling continuously like that until sundown.


End file.
